Mopar Englishtown Event Notes
Mopar Motorsports NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series 34th Annual Matco Tools SuperNationals Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Englishtown, N.J. Pre-Event Notes Television Coverage (All Times Eastern) May 17 Qualifying; ESPN2, 6-8 p.m. May 18 Eliminations; ESPN2, 5-7 p.m. May 19 Repeat; ESPN2, 2-5 p.m. Allen Johnson Leads Mopar Into King Demon Crown First Factory Mopar to Compete in ŒAll-Star¹ Show Since 1998 ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 8, 2003) Mopar¹s Allen Johnson qualified seventh for the upcoming NHRA Pro Stock King Demon Crown All-Star event during the 34th annual Matco Tools SuperNationals at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, May 15-18. The race will mark the first time that a factory backed Mopar entry has made the race since the 1998 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season. The Greeneville, Tenn., resident, who currently sits eighth in the Pro Stock championship chase, will face off against Greg Anderson in round one and is ecstatic about his inaugural appearance in the King Demon Crown. ³I think our performance level, with the help of Mopar and its engineering, has helped us take the next step,² Johnson said. ³I feel we¹ll be coming in to Englishtown as strong as we have been all season. We drew a tough first round opponent in (Kurt) Johnson (while in Atlanta), but I¹m confident our performance level will step up right with his (K. Johnson) pretty quickly.² The 43-year-old category veteran also spoke of the future. According to Johnson, competing in the King Demon Crown means a lot to Johnson & Johnson Racing. ³We also hope to start off next year¹s competition on the right foot,² said Johnson, who¹s teammate is three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion Darrell Alderman. ³Our team is very confident that we will get our two cars -- Darrell Alderman and I --- into next year¹s competition. Englishtown will be a big weekend, too, because it¹s important for this year¹s Pro Stock point standings and can be a springboard towards winning of the points chase.² Mopar has won the King Demon event in the past, as Alderman defeated Bruce Allen in 1991. New Jersey Kind to DA Darrell Alderman likes Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. And for good reason, as the Morehead, Ky., resident, has won three NHRA national events at the historic facility. Alderman beat Mark Pawuk in his first championship season of 1990; defeated current crew chief Rickie Smith in his second title season on 1991 and outran Bruce Allen in 1997. Alderman also collected the runner-up spot after falling to now Mopar factory teammate Larry Morgan in 1994.